28% of people will buy latest iPad just to have the current model

Kensington survey suggests that next iPad only needs super-size option and better processor to appease most • More will be gifted than sold • More will be donated than before • More children to be given iPads

Apple’s announcement of the iPad Air 2 last year was fuel for tech editors for weeks after the release, at the time it was possible to predict how consumers would react to the news. A new survey commissioned by Kensington – themselves a developer of a wide range of Apple-certified products, including iPhone and iPad compatible accessories – suggests that Apple are likely to enjoy a positive reception if they are indeed about to announce a new iPad.

Their survey of over 1,000 customers – available in a condensed graphical form at Kensington.com/GiftYouriPad – asked respondents “what is most likely to drive you to replace your current iPad”. 17% said they wanted a new processor while 8% said they were waiting to own a bigger iPad. Both features have been widely rumoured for upcoming iPad models, the latter suggested by the release of the iPhone 6 Plus in September. Improvements to the screen and camera were desired by 5% and 2%, respectively. A large share of the remainder are Apple loyalists – 28% stated that “the desire to own the latest iPad” would fuel their intention to replace their current model.

11% were simply looking for the right opportunity to gift an old tablet in favour of acquiring the new one – hinting at a gifting phenomenon that was another significant theme in the iPad purchasing trends surveyed. In fact, 73% of upgraders are preparing to gift their current iPad when upgrading. Jim Murakami, Global Product Manager at Kensington explains: “While at first glance the research suggests that the majority of existing iPad owners will upgrade for quite minor reasons, what we’re actually seeing is a growing number of consumers who desire to become a multi-device household.”

He continued: “We expect that those investing in a new iPad model won’t just be doing so to benefit from the new tablet’s features. They also want to free up their old tablet for use by another family member, giving them more time on their new primary device.” Indeed, four fifths of all gifted tablets were likely to stay in the family. Additionally, 37% of gifted tablets were specifically going to children – a group particularly enthusiastic about the technology, and also likely to monopolise time with it.

With so many tablets enjoying this second life within the same household – only 14% said they would sell their device, despite the persistent resell value of Apple’s products – manufacturers of tablet accessories may find their legacy product offerings far outliving the retail lives of each generation of Apple product. Kensington is already capitalising on the large numbers of young iPad owners with their child-friendly SafeGrip™ rugged tablet cases. With 51% of those surveyed stating they were most likely to buy some form of cover or case for their current or future tablet, designs that serve a demographically diverse second wave of users with older devices are key.